Coin-controlled vending-machine.



J. J. SHEA.

COIN CONTROLLED VENDING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 11, 1910.

Patented Sept. 3, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

9 Q at T 6 g? H677 5 o 9 l 9 r/ 'W 5 O m Z 5 Q J. J. SHEA. COIN CONTROLLED VENDENG MACHINE.

- Em r APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 11, 1910.

g gjbg Patented Sept. 3, 1912.

3 SHBETB-SHEBT 3.

JOHN J. SHEA, 0F BEVERLY, MA A HUSETT COINTGONTBQLLED vsivDINe-Mmnmn.

Specification of Letter Bfl-tent.

Patented Sept. 3, 1912.

Application filed .Tune 11, 1910. Serial No. 566,817.

To all whom it may concern: 0

Be it known that I, JOHN J. SHEA a citizen of the United States, and resident of Beverly, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Coin-Controlled Vending-Machines, of which h f l i g 1 0 on the" actuator G. Secured to said actuis a specification.

My invent-ion relates to coin controlled vending machines, and more particularly to a coin controlled vending. machine for the sale of aseptic or prophylactic paper drinking cups adapted for individual use at public drinking places, such as railroad depots and cars, public fountains, etc. The commercial success of cups of this general character depends in large measure upon the ease with which they can be obtained at the drinking place itself; for experience has demonstrated that while value of an individual aseptic cup for use at a public drinking place, and are ready and fwilling to pay a small sum therefor, they will not trouble themselves to obtain such a; Cpnse quently, at all public drinking places, and particularly at those where attendants or cup unless it is readily accessible.

salesmen are not provided," a coin controlled Vending machine furnishes the most eliicieht' means for provldlng a supply from whlch the public can readily obtain an aseptic cup.

It is the object of this invention to pro vide a coin controlled cup vending machine 7 I p end and'fit-ted into a holder 1, the latter be- In the drawings hereto annexed, which? illustrate an embodiment of my invention,'

for this purpose.

Figure l is a front elevation of my improved machine; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on the line 22 Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a longiing from the right, certain 6 is a sectional view-on the line 66 Fig. 5';

Fig. 7 is a detail of part of the door operating mechanism; Fig. 8 is a plan view of a cup adapted for use in my Lmproved machine; and Fig. 9 is a perspective View of the same.

In the drawings, A is a casing provided with the usual opening A at the bottom, and an indicator opening A To said casing there is secured in any suitable manner a plate B (Fig. 1) having a coin aperture 6 eople generally recognize the i and a slot b. Upon the inside of said plate there is provided an actuator or slide C adapted to slide in guide ways 0. A handle 0' secured to said actuator C projects through the slot b in the plate B; and a spring 0 is secured at one end to a wall of the casing A and atthe other end to a post ator C, and located at an internal edge of the coin aperture 6, is a plate 0* provided with a slot 0 and at the opposite edge of the coin aperture 6 is a plate 0 secured to the plate B and provided with a cam surface a. To said slotted plate 0* there is pivoted a latch a connected by a spring o with a post 0 on the actuator C. Said latch c is normally locked against downward movement by a catch 0 upon the plate B The actuator C also carries two 'posts 0 and a. To the post 0 there is secured the spring arm Dfand to the post 0 is secured the cup ejector consisting of a yoke E (Fig. 4) provided at its opposite ends with s ring fingers c (Fig. 2). Upon the plate B 'elow and preferably at one side of the plates 0* and 0 there is secured a suitable coin receptacle F.

G is a removable cylindrical container loosely fit. -l,/Vhen in operative position,

the container is open at its lower or delivery ing provided with oppositely disposed slots 2' through which project the sprlng fingers eQ Said holder'l is also provided with a groove 71 similar to the groove g ,of the container and forming a continuation thereof. Upon a wall of the casing A and pre ferabl .upon a plate, as shown, there is secure the cup feeding mechanism consisting of a star wheel J and a spring pawl K, the latter provided with a cam surface 7c and a lug 7: adapted normally to hold said star wheel against rotation. An opening 71 in the groove 5 of the holder I permits the spurs of the star wheel J to project into the groove 2'.

' L is a door mounted on a shaft Z journaled M is a shutter slidably mounted upon a wall of the casing A and adapted normally to close the indicator opening A N is a cover for the container G to which is pivoted the lever 0. One end of the lever 0 passes through the wall of the container and engages the shutter M and the opposite end is connected by a cord 7) with a weight 1 adapted to rest upon the top of the column of cups H, H, in the container.

In Figs. 8 and 9 there is shown a cup peculiarly adapted for use in my cup vending machine, said cup being made the subject of a separate application for patent filed June 11, 1910, Serial No. 566.318. The cup shown in said figures has a tapering body and a band It about the rim. The relative proportions of the body and band are such that the external circumference of the band at its lower edge is greater than the internal circumference of the mouth of the cup whereby the lower edge of the band forms a shoulder. Vhen a plurality of similar cups are nested, the shoulders thus formed rest upon the upper edge of the cup next below, the bands It thus constituting spacers for the several cups in the nested column and preventing said cups from nesting too closely together. The band it is provided with a guide tab it preferably formed integral therewith and having a notch it whereby when a plurality of similar cups are nested there is a clearance between the adjacent guide tabs.

In use, a container G is filled under sanitary conditions at the cup manufactory, with a column of nested cups having their guide tabs h fitting loosely in the groove 7. The container is then transported to the drinking place where the cup vending machine is located and placed in the holder I. The feeding mechanism is then operated in the manner presently to be described a sufiicient number of times to feed and advance the column of nested cups into the position shown in Fig. 2, the bottom cup of said column being advanced into the holder I in position to be engaged by the spring fingers 6 when the actuator is operated. The spurs on the star wheel J, which project into the groove 2'" of the holder 1, engage the notches [L of the guide tabs h and support the column of nested cups, said star wheel being held against rotation by the pawl The machine is then ready for use.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The purchaser drops his coin R into the coin aperture 6 where it falls between the plates 0* and c and rests between the latch 0 and the cam surface 0 The purchaser then depresses the handle c' with the following result. The actuator C slides downward causing the coin to ride up on the cam surface 0 and push the latch rearward so that it is lifted free of the catch 0 The rearward movement of the latch continues until in the downward movement of the actuator which carries with it the coin and the latch, the coin in passing over the cam surface 0" presses the latch far enough to the rear to permit the coin to drop out from between the latch and the cam surface into the coin receptacle l, whereupon the spring 0 causes the latch c to spring back. As soon as the downward movement of the actuator begins, the door L which is supported in closed position by the link connection with the actuator, falls by gravity and as the actuator continues its downward movement, the stud slides downward in the slot Z of the link P, so that the striking of the door against the casing when fully opened does not interfere with the full downward movement of the actuator. Simultaneously with the downward movement of the actuator and opening of the door in the manner described the spring fingers e engage the bottom cup of the column and travel downward in the slots 2'. eject said cup from the holder 1, said cup falling into the opening A. During said downward movement of said actuator, the nose of the spring arm D which rests on the edge of the pawl K, travels along the cam surface is thereof lifting said nose clear of the spurs of the star wheel J and when said nose has passed below said star wheel, slips from said cam surface, so that at the finish of said downward movement of said actuator, the nose of said spring arm D rests against the face of said pawl K. When the purchaser releases the handle 0' the spring 0 causes the actuator to move upward into normal locked position, the upward movement of said actuator being attended by the following results. The nose of the spring arm D passes over the face of the spring pawl K and presses the latter back so that the lug 7c slips off the star wheel thus unlocking it. Continued upward movement of the actuator causes the nose of said spring arm to turn said star wheel a distance of one spur and then to slip from said pawl permitting said pawl to spring back into normal position, so that the lug 7s engages the star wheel and locks it against rotation. The rotation thus given to the star wheel causes the latter to feed the column of cups forward and advance the bottom cup into position to be ejected by the spring fingers e at the next operation of the actuator in the manner already described. The upward movement of the actuator carries the stud Z upward to the end of the slot Z and thereafter lifts the connection betwen the actuator and the door L causing the latter to swing into closed position; and when in the upward movement of the actuator the nose of the latch 0 reaches the catch 0, it rides over said catch and locks the actuator in normal position. \Vhen all the cups in the container have been sold the weight P lifts the lever 0 thus raising the shutter M and disclosing the word Empty in the indicator opening A The empty container is then removed from the machine and replaced by a full container and the machine again prepared for use as already described.

I claim:

1. I11 a machine of the class described, a container having a delivery opening, said container adapted to hold the articles to be sold, a feeder comprising a star wheel adapted to present said articles one by one at said delivery opening, a spring pawl normally holding said star wheel against rotation, an actuator, means carried by said actuator adapted topass idly by said star wheel and pawl when said actuator is depressed and to rotate said star wheel when said actuator returns to normal position, and means to eject the articles thus presented from the container.

2. In a machine of the class described, a container having a delivery opening, said container adapted to hold the articles to be sold, a feeder to present said articles one by one at said delivery opening, an actuator, a yoke secured to said actuator and having oppositely arranged means secured thereto adapted to eject the articles thus presented from the container when said actuator is operated.

3. In a machine of the class described, a container having a delivery opening, said container adapted to hold the articles to be sold, a feeder to present said articles one by one at said delivery opening, an actuator, a yoke secured to said actuator provided with spring fingers at its opposite ends adapted to eject the articles thus presented from the container when said actuator is operated.

4. In a machine of the class described, a container having a delivery opening, said container adapted to hold the articles to besold, a feeder comprising a star Wheel adapted to present said articles one by one at said delivery opening, a spring pawl normally holding said star wheel against rotation, an actuator, means carried by said actuator adapted to pass idly by said star wheel and pawl when said actuator is depressed and to rotate said star Wheel when said actuator returns to normal position, a yoke secured to said actuator and having oppositely arranged means secured thereto adapted to eject the articles thus presented from the container when said actuator is operated.

52 In a machine of the class described, a. container having a delivery opening, said container adapted to hold the articles to be sold, a feeder comprising astar wheel adapt-- ed to present said articles one by one at said delivery opening, a spring pawl normally holding said star wheel against rotation, an actuator, means carried by said actuator adapted to pass idly by said star wheel and pawl when said actuator is depressed and to rotate said star wheel when said actuator returns to normal position, a yoke secured to said actuator provided with spring tingers at its opposite ends adapted to eject the articles thus presented from the container when said actuator is operated.

6. In a. machine of the class described, a removable container having a delivery opening, a slotted holder for said container having a delivery opening, said container adapt-- ed to hold the articles to be sold, a feeder to present said articles one by one at said dolivery opening and to advance the same one by one into said holder, an actuator, a yoke secured thereto provided with spring tingers at its opposite ends projecting through said slots and adapted to eject said articles from said holder when said actuator is op erated.

7. In a cup-vending machine, a tubular container provided with a longitudinal groove adapted to hold a column of nested cups with their guide tabs in said groove, an ejector, and a star wheel adapted to en gage said guide tabs and to feed said cups one by one to said ejector.

8. In. a cup-vending machine, a tubular container provided with a longitudinal groove adapted to hold a column of nested cups with their guide tabs in said groove, cupcontrol1ing mechanism comprising a feeder and an ejector, a door normally closing the delivery end of said container, an actuator, connections between said actuator and said cup-controlling mechanism and said door whereby said cup-controlling mechanism and said door will be actuated at each operation of said actuator.

9. In a cup-vending machine, a tubular container provided with a longitudinal groove adapted to hold a column of nested cups with their guide tabs in said groove, cup-controlling mechanism comprising a yoke provided with means to eject the cups one by one from the container, and a star wheel adapted to feed the cups one by one to said ejector, a door adapted normally to' close the delivery end of said container, an actuator, connections between said actuator and said cup-controlling mechanism and said door whereby when said actuator is opremoved from the container, and thereafter said star wheel feeds the end cup of the colcrated said door is opened and the end cup &

from said container, and a feeder adapted to feed said cups one by one to said ejecting mechanism.

11. In a cup vending machine, a container provided with a longitudinal groove adapted to hold a column of nested cups with their guide tabs in said groove, mechanism to engage and eject said cups one by one from said container, and a feeder adapted to support said column and positively to feed said cups one by one to said ejecting mechanism.

12-. In a machine of the class described, a container having a delivery opening, said container adapted to hold the articles to be sold, a feeder to present said. articles one by one at said delivery opening, means to eject the articles thus presented from the container, a door pivoted on said container and normally closing said delivery opening, an actuator and connections between said door and said actuator whereby when said actuator is depressed the door is opened and is returned to closed position when said actuator returns to normal position.

13. In a machine of the class described, a container having a delivery opening, said container adapted to hold the articles to be sold, a feeder to present said articles one by one at said delivery opening, means to eject the articles thus presented from the container, a shaft mounted on said container, a door fast to said shaft and normally closing said delivery opening, an actuator and an articulated connection between said shaft and SitldtlCtllfitOI whereby when said actuator is depressed said door is opened and is returned to closed position when said actuator is returned to normal position.

Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts, this sixth day of June, 1910.

JOHN J. SHEA. 

